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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Gurdwara Bala sahib premises turn battleground between Sikh factions

Gurdwara premises turn battleground

A group of locals claiming to be from Sikh Sangat of Delhi in the Sunlight Colony area fought with the members of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on the issue of construction of a medical college inside the premises of Bala Sahab Gurdwara.

The situation turned violent on Friday afternoon after bottles were thrown in the air and vehicles were put on fire. Later, the local police had to use tear gas to take the situation under control. However, the Sikh groups will hold a protest on the matter on Saturday.

Tension prevailed in Gurdwara Bala Sahib in south Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan following a clash between two groups on Friday. A dispute over alleged allotment of the Gurdwara’s land to a private organisation to build a hospital was the reason, police said.

Several policemen were deployed in the area to prevent escalation of the situation between two sword-brandishing groups.

While four persons were injured in the clash, two four-wheelers were damaged. At least 200 people from both sides pelted stones.

Police had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the mob. They mounted a baton charge to clear the crowd.

According to police, trouble started at 11 am when Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Paramjit Singh Sarna’s brother Harvinder Singh Sarna was allegedly assaulted by two relatives of a local Sikh political leader and their supporters.Police said some residents beat up Harvinder Singh Sarna, alleging that the land owned by DSGMC was being given to a private company to build a hospital.

The residents also tried to prevent a bhoomi pujan from being performed on the land by the committee’s vice chairman, Harvinder Singh Sarna.

Kuldeep Singh Bhogal, a resident, alleged that the chairman of the committee sold the land to private B L Kapoor Group to build the hospital.